Over The Edge
by TStabler
Summary: Falling is scary. It makes your heart pound, your palms sweat, your mind race. But it's out of your control, and there is nothing you can do to stop it. When Elliot and Olivia are undercover, it becomes very clear, very fast, that they've been on the verge of falling over the edge for too long. It's time to jump.
1. Chapter 1

**A/N: Sometimes, new beginnings of certain things lead to the very abrupt ends of some others.**

**DISCLAIMER: Dick Wolf owns SVU and all related characters. TStabler owns the following story.**

The sunlight was just beginning to peek through the branches of the trees, pinks and golds winking at her as she stared out into space from her place on the wooden balcony. She leaned forward, her arms resting on the rail, and took a deep breath, closing her eyes. She let out a soft moan, wondering why air never smelled so fresh back home, why her lungs and mind had never been so clear.

She lifted her lids again, her eyes roving over the rolling green hills, and part of her silently prayed that the days here wouldn't pass so quickly, that whatever it was they had to do here took its sweet time getting done.

She felt him behind her, but she didn't dare turn to look at him. It would ruin the moment.

"It's beautiful here," he said, lifting a ceramic coffee mug to his lips.

She hummed and nodded. "Very," she said.

He laughed, bringing the mug down, holding it in both of his hands. He leaned over the balcony railing, standing far too close to her. "Almost romantic."

"Almost." Her tone was low, reality had somehow snuck back in and smacked her in the face. She cleared her throat and straightened up. "Well, at least you have a great new place to take your wife."

He chuckled. "No," he said, his tongue rolling around in his mouth. "No, you know things with her are..." he stopped. He smiled at her and his heart gave a slight lurch at what he saw staring back at him. He pushed the thought away, deciding it was just his imagination, and he looked back out over the rail. "Liv, this...this place needs to stay just what it is. Ours." He turned his head just slightly, watching her tense and blush out of the corners of his eyes. "I didn't mean...I just...ya know. Us. Ours."

"Whatever," she scoffed, turning away from him and heading back into the cabin. "We should get dressed. We have to meet our tour group at seven for..."

"Horseback riding," he finished for her. "Silly question, but...why do they always send us on these wild goose chases? I mean, granted, we..."

"Because," she interrupted. "I'm the only woman in the unit, no one with half a brain would believe I married Munch, and Fin...is he really the kind of guy you can see taking his wife to a cabin on a mountain to do yoga and meditate after dinner?"

He laughed again, a hearty chuckle. "No, no he's not. At all." He sighed and looked at her. "We get the job done, right?"

"For some reason," she said, "People never question us. They always believe we're married." She looked at him, tried to smile, then moved past him, out of the living room and into her bedroom.

He put his mug down on the carved-wood coffee table and followed her. He had something to tell her, but now wasn't the time, and it was certainly not the place. He'd have to wait, but as he looked at her, he bit his lip. "Hey, uh, not that I'm...I mean, I'm not...but why are we staying in separate rooms?"

She turned with wide eyes. "Elliot!"

"I'm serious, Liv!" he protested. "We're supposed to be on a romantic getaway, and this punkass we're out here to catch likes to rifle through the cabins. If he sees your stuff in a different room, then the odds that he's coming after us are..."

"Fine!" she hissed, rolling her eyes. She grabbed her as-yet-unpacked suitcase, bolted out of her room and kicked the door to his open. She dropped her luggage in the corner and folded her arms as she looked at him again. "I'll unpack later. Happy?"

He narrowed his eyes. "What's the matter with you?"

"Nothing," she spat, shoving a hand into her suitcase. She grabbed a pair of jeans, a sweater, and a bra. "I'm fine. I'm always fine, don't you know that?"

"Don't lie to me," he said sternly, but with a soft look in his eyes. He reached out to grab her arms, but she pulled away from him. Hurt, he shook his head. "What's going on, Liv?" He tried again and grabbed both of her elbows. "Talk to me."

She blinked, relaxing into his touch. "El, I'm just..." she paused. She sighed. "I'm fine. I didn't sleep well, that's all."

"More of a reason to sleep in the bed with me," he teased with a wink and a smile. "I'll keep the big, bad nightmares away." He slid a hand from her arm, upward, under her chin, and he wiggled his fingers.

"Oh, hey. No, none of that," she said quickly, swatting at his hand and backing up, her eyes wide.

He folded his arms and grinned. "Someone's ticklish," he chuckled. He took a step toward her, she back up faster. "I'm not gonna..."

"Back," she warned, thwacking him away with her bra. "El, stop it!" She swatted at him again, but he grabbed the silk and pulled hard, yanking her flush to him.

"Hi, there." He smiled the smile he knew she couldn't resist. "What'd you dream about, Liv?"

She looked into his eyes, the answer formed in her throat, materialized on her tongue, but she couldn't choke it out. "Nothing...it's...it's fine, El. I'm fine."

He nodded, smiled again, then lightly kissed her forehead. "Go get dressed." he winked once more. "Baby," he said, only half-joking.

"Yeah," she said, pulling away from him. She felt her skin singe where his lips had touched, and she wondered why he did it, why he kissed her as she headed into the bathroom. She closed the door behind her, and started to change out of her pajamas and into her clothes.

It had only been one night, and already she felt herself losing resolve. Dreaming about him in a room two doors away was one thing, but now she'd be lying right beside him when she whispered his name, when she moaned it softly, when she nuzzled into her pillow imagining it was him.

She sighed as she pulled on her jeans and caught a glimpse of herself in the mirror. Maybe wishing for the case to take its time was a bad idea.

**A/N: Horseback riding? What's the worst that could happen?**


	2. Chapter 2

**A/N: A wild ride.**

**DISCLAIMER: Dick Wolf owns SVU and all related characters. TStabler owns the following story.**

The walk to the meet-up was long, quiet. Once people started to come into view, though, Elliot reached out and grabbed Olivia's hand, linking their fingers. He wasn't necessarily surprised when she gripped it tightly in response, but his heart did give a heavy thud against his chest.

"You look amazing," he whispered.

She raised an eyebrow and smiled. "If you're putting on a show, you might want to talk louder so the audience can hear you."

"I'm not," he told her, shaking his head, still smiling. "I just…wanted you to know that."

She furrowed her brow at him, but stayed quiet as he led her to the tour group. They stood in line between an older couple, listening to them bicker about the heat, the smell, and how sore this was going to leave them.

"Why bother doing this if you're just going to complain?" Elliot snorted under his breath.

Hearing him, Olivia laughed and rolled her eyes, not even noticing that Elliot had managed to pull her close and wrap his arms around her waist.

"Good morning, group!" a bright-eyed woman in khaki's chirped. "Each of you has been pre-paired with one of our pure-breed horses. Based on the personality tests you took when you checked in, we matched you with a horse that we feel you'll be compatible with."

Olivia stared open-mouthed at the woman. "Seriously?"

"Welcome to your all natural honeymoon, baby," Elliot teased.

"Mister and Missus John Farmer?" the guide called out. She held out a hand to help the couple up onto a platform, and one at a time she explained why their horse was chosen, then helped them mount up. She gave each animal a swat on the side and they trotted to a rope line a few feet away. She turned back to the group. "Mister and Missus Elliot Sullivan?"

"Right here!" Elliot barked back. He moved, Olivia still in his arms, to the platform.

"Elliot," the guide smiled and patted a black horse on the side. "This is Blake. He's strong, brave, and madly in love with his mate."

Elliot chuckled. "Well, that's me."

"Cocky son of a bitch," Olivia laughed at him.

The guide winked at them and said, "Olivia, this is Chelsea." The woman ran a hand through the white mane of a large, brown horse.

"Um…what?" Olivia blinked, not even pretending to be happy about what was happening. "Is that a, um…she's a…"

"Clydesdale," the guide nodded. "Strong, independent, a bit scary but beautiful and graceful, a little rough around the edges with a wicked temper. You don't want to get on her bad side."

Elliot chortled. "Oh, man, she has you pegged."

"Elliot, that horse is huge!" Olivia gasped at him. "I thought they'd give me your horse's mate…or whatever."

The guide laughed and folded her arms. "Olivia, Chelsea is Blake's mate."

"How…how is that…wow." Olivia's mouth snapped shut.

Winking again, the guide said, "Blake always had an attraction to the horse he thought he couldn't have. It took a lot of persuading, a lot of work, but he knew what he wanted and he went for it. He wouldn't settle for another horse, and he wouldn't take no for an answer."

Elliot stiffened and cleared his throat. "Well, uh, yeah. That…wow, they need to use those personality tests in the force. You know how many idiots we would weed out of the squad?"

Olivia gave him a worried look as he pushed her up on the platform, and she closed her eyes as she mounted the large, burly horse. "Okay, uh. No, no, see this is…she's way too big for…whoa! Whoa! What's she doing?"

"Hold on, baby!" Elliot called, leaping up onto his black beauty. "I think she's just…um…you insulted her. She's like you, babe, you pissed her off and now she doesn't want you on her."

"I would gladly get off of her if she would stop!" Olivia said as she was jostled around by the bucking Clydesdale. "You're a beautiful horse, okay? I know no one tells you that, but when…when Blake looks at you…" she paused, noticing the horse stopped, and the animal turned its head slightly to look at her as if to say 'go on.' Olivia took a breath and leaned over. "You feel beautiful when he looks at you, huh, girl?" She ran a hand through the white hair on the horse's head. "Well, Elliot, he…he's my Blake."

The horse snorted and shook her head, she neighed loudly as she plodded back over toward Blake and Elliot, stopping beside her mate. "Thank you," Olivia whispered, then looked helplessly at Elliot. "I can't do this for five miles," she whined.

He laughed and held out his arms. "Come here," he said, waving his hands at her. He got a good grip on her and pulled her in front of him, settling her on the saddle. He grabbed both of her hands and then the reins on the bridle, and he shimmied closer to her, grinding up against her back.

She let out a soft moan, her eyes closing briefly, and she said, "Thanks."

"Honestly," he said, then bent his head and whispered right into her ear, "I like this much better anyway."

As Blake began to move, Olivia felt Elliot pressing into her. Their bodies rubbed together with every gallop, and when the horse sped up, he held her tighter. She leaned back, into him, loving every moment.

"This isn't half bad," Elliot said, smirking. "Fresh air, just the two of us, no one up our ass about paperwork. It's exciting." He purposely ground against her, making sure his point was well made.

She moaned again, loud enough for him to hear her, and she said, "You have no idea."

He laughed into her ear, pressed even closer to her, and gave the horse a light kick with both feet, getting him to speed up.

"I didn't know you could ride," she said, her head back against his chest.

He kissed the top of her head and said, "Neither did I. I am really just, uh, trying to do what John Wayne does."

She laughed, then sobered, trying to hold back the louder, longer moan that had built in her throat. They stayed quiet, their bodies melding as they followed the horses in front of them.

The ride was long, thrilling, and every once in a while she'd hear a grunt or groan from him, he'd hear a moan or sigh from her, and their hands were clasped for every second. When the horse began to slow, he trotted over to where his lady-love stood, without a rider, and he nuzzled her.

"Aw, El," Olivia sighed, watching. "Look."

He bent forward again, mimicking Blake's actions and nudging the side of her neck and face with his nose. "He loves her, Liv."

She turned, stunned, and looked into his eyes. "El, this is just…I know you like getting into character when we have to, but, please, don't…"

"Liv," he interrupted, closing his eyes. "Can we enjoy this? Please? As long as we're here, I don't…I'm not holding anything back, and you…shouldn't either."

"Why?" she spat. "So we can go back home, pretend none of this ever…"

"Shh!" a woman on a grey mare hushed them angrily. "Have a little respect for this, would you?"

Olivia and Elliot both turned to look at her, but what met their eyes was the most beautiful scene they'd ever taken in. The horses had come to a stop on a cliff, overlooking an enormous green valley. Birds were flying at almost eye-level, they had a clear view of waterfalls and a rushing river, the sun was still struggling to make its way to the high sky, giving everything its light touched a golden tone.

"Wow," Olivia breathed, amazed.

Elliot hummed and pressed a soft kiss to the back of her head. "Nowhere else I'd rather be," he whispered. "No one else I'd rather be with. Believe that."

She nodded, too lost in the moment, in the view, to protest or fight with him. She sank back into his arms and let herself enjoy it all, take it all in, forgetting about the case, the harsh reality that waited for them back in New York.

As Elliot pulled her tighter still, he closed his eyes and sighed against the skin of her neck. He knew what was happening, he wasn't stopping it. He knew he was teetering on a very thin ledge, and he had no intention of preventing the fall.

**A/N: A dinner alone, an overheard phone call, and a moment that pushes them a little closer to the edge.**


	3. Chapter 3

**A/N: A little conversation.**

**DISCLAIMER: Dick Wolf owns SVU and all related characters. TStabler owns the following story.**

She tried to keep a cool demeanor and smiling face as she watched Elliot make his way back to the table. She bit her lip as she took in his slumped over form as he plopped back into his chair. She had heard every word of that phone call he'd excused himself to take a minute ago. Maybe merely moving himself behind a potted plant right next to their table wasn't the best idea, but then again, maybe he wanted her to hear to hear it. "Everything okay?" she asked him, trying to grin.

"Please," he held up a hand. "You know it's not, and I don't want to talk about it. I want to put it all on the back burner, I want to have a nice dinner. I don't need the distraction or the depression, and I want to focus on you. Us. The case." He grimaced as he took a long, hard gulp of his iced water.

She brushed her hair behind her ear and pulled her napkin from the table to her lap. "Well, okay, then," she said with a nod. "Just out of curiosity, do your legs hurt?" she asked, squinting at him. "I can't really feel mine."

He smirked, still holding his glass close to his lips. "Ya know," he chuckled, "I've had fantasies where you tell me you can't feel your legs. But, uh, in them...it's not because you were riding a horse."

Her eyes widened, her heart stopped. "Elliot!"

He laughed and put his glass down, then reached across the table for her hand. He took it in his, then rubbed the side of her palm with his thumb. "Like you haven't had fantasies?" he accused. "You've never, not once, ever imagined us working late, alone? Cragen leaves his office door open...one thing leads to another...you and me...we end up on the desk giving new meaning to the word 'overtime."

She pulled her hand away from his and grabbed her water, drinking most of it as she tried to keep from blushing. "I can't...wow. You have...the world's most unbelievable ego."

"Oh, come on," he huffed, leaning back again. "I think we're way passed pretending here, Liv, I mean...what...over a decade..." he stopped, licked his lips, and looked at her. "I can't be wrong. Liv, I...am I?"

She took a breath and looked into his eyes, seeing so many things she'd either never seen before or just ignored. "No," she almost whispered. "But, El, you said it yourself, we don't need the distraction right..."

"You...are a very welcome distraction," he said, half-kidding. "Besides, uh, I'm supposed to be fawning all over you, right? We are playing newlywed, here. Gotta make it convincing." He wrapped two fingers around the stem of his empty champagne glass. "Now that...you know...that's out in the open," he began, his eyes soft and narrow, "How much was really pretending? As many times as we've done this, the looks, the touching, the kissing...how much of it was really all just an act on your end?"

"Oh," Olivia pressed her lips together and furrowed her brow. "Uh, well you know...just like...maybe about...um...none of it." She shrugged and picked up a breadstick from the basket set between them. She peeled it into pieces as she said, "Even when you were faking it, you were the best boyfriend I've ever had."

He shot out his hand fast, covering hers as it gripped the soft bread. "I wasn't..." he made sure he was looking right into her eyes, holding her gaze. "I was never faking it."

It was the longest they'd ever stared at each other like that, or it seemed so. Their concentration was broken by the clearing throat of their waiter. "Compliments of the gentleman at table twelve," the young man said, holding a bottle of sweet champagne out to them. "He sends congratulations on your wedding."

Elliot smiled and took the bottle, then turned his head toward the man at table twelve. He nodded gratefully, then looked at Olivia. "Contact," he said, wrapping one large hand around the bottle as the other slipped up the neck.

Olivia jumped, a hand shooting to her chest, as the bang of a popping cork hit her ears. She laughed, along with Elliot, as he poured. "You ready for this?" she asked, taking her full glass from him.

"I have been ready for this for years, beautiful," he told her, putting the bottle down and smiling at her.

She blushed, unable to stop it this time, but she said, "I meant the case...El, are you ready to..."

"Oh!" he shook his head and cleared his throat. "Yeah, of course I am." He held out his glass. "To us. Partners. For better or worse."

She laughed and clinked her glass against his, meeting his eyes as they sipped together. She licked her lips and put her glass down, chewed on the inside of her cheek for a moment, then said, "You sounded...I mean you have to know I heard you...talking to her." She slowly looked back up at his face, his eyes now darker, more pained. "You didn't tell me how bad it really was between you this time."

"Shit, Liv," he huffed. "I'm sorry you heard that, but it's...I didn't want you to get in the middle again, and I don't need you doing it now."

Olivia shook her head and pointed at him. "You usually talk to me, El. I'm the late night phone call or the midnight pizza, and...I know you just said you don't want to talk about it, but El, we're working, and I really don't need you flirting with me more than you usually would here because you're on the rebound and looking for a little extra attention. If you think something is gonna happen just because you're in the doghouse again, I..."

"Hold on," he said, suddenly a bit loud, a bit hurt. "First off, you would never be a rebound, ever. You mean fucking everything to me, you know you do! Second, I'm not holding anything back with you this time, I can't stop it, not here, not like this. And third, damn it, Liv, I don't want to talk about Kathy."

Olivia sat, stunned, staring at him. She watched as his nostrils flared a bit, his face reddened slightly, and she reached for his hand the way he'd reached for hers twice tonight.

He let her take it, and at once he calmed, noticeably. He inhaled deeply and then sighed, and his eyes closed. "She's selling the house. She's putting half of whatever it goes for in my account. Oh, yeah, and she's closing the joint account, giving me half of what's in there and then she's...leaving." He opened his eyes, lifting them to meet Olivia's. "I guess now there really is no rush to close this case and go home because...I don't really have a home to go to."

She gave his hand a squeeze, gave him a nod and a smile, and said, "Of course you do." She tilted her head at him when he smiled back at her, then asked, "What about the kids?"

"Hmph," he scoffed. "Maureen's still in Chicago working on her thesis, Kathleen's up in Scranton at school for another two years. Lizzie's off to Yale in the fall, Dickie's heading to West Point, so it's just me and Eli, at least until the summer." He ran a hand down his face. "You know how she told them?"

Olivia shook her head, unaware their fingers were locking together.

"She e-mailed them," he said with a snort. "Not individual messages, either. She sent a mass e-mail to my kids. 'Hey, how's school, you're father and I are getting a divorce, for real this time, don't drink and drive, love, Mom."

"I'm sure that's not what it said," Olivia shook her head and rolled her eyes.

He pulled his cell phone out of his pocket with his free hand and gave it to her. "The first one in the inbox."

She tapped a few buttons, then read the e-mail, and slowly handed the phone back to him. "Okay, Stabler, I think you need something a little stronger than champagne."

He laughed and shoved the phone back into his pocket. "No, Liv," he sighed. "What I need, is time. A lot of time, alone, with the only person in the world who understands me, doesn't judge or mock, or dismiss me, the only person on this planet who has proved time and time again that I am just as important to her as she is to me, and that my complete faith and trust in her is not misplaced."

She raised an eyebrow. "Well, if you want, we could give your mother a call."

"Liv," he dropped his head and brought his hand, holding hers, up to his face.

"I know," she almost whispered. She closed her eyes. "I know." She felt him press a soft kiss to her knuckle, and she sighed. When she opened her eyes, their waiter was beside her again, this time with soup and salad, and she turned to him. "Would you please tell the man who sent us the champagne...that he's more than welcome to join us?"

"Indeed," the young man said, heading over to table twelve.

Olivia looked at Elliot, took a deep breath, and said, "Guess it's showtime."

**A/N: Who is the man? What does he want? And what's the next step for Olivia and Elliot? Will it be one step too far?**


	4. Chapter 4

**A/N: A little action**

**DISCLAIMER: Dick Wolf owns SVU and its characters. TStabler© owns the narrative, dialogue and plot of this story**

"He declined?" Elliot looked at the waiter as if he had two heads.

The waiter nodded. "He says he's fighting a cold and would hate to get you both ill on your honeymoon, but he will take you up on that invitation soon." He handed Elliot a card. "He asks that you call him tomorrow."

Elliot took the card from the waiter with a disappointed smile, nodded, and watched him walk away.

Olivia sighed, running her finger along the rim of her champagne glass. "You said you wanted time," she muttered.

"Yeah, but…" he stopped, slipping the card into his breast pocket. "Are you about done?"

Her eyes widened. "With my dinner that hasn't arrived yet?"

"Sorry," he laughed. "I guess…I kinda want to get out of here." He rubbed a hand down his face and looked over at her. "We could…get that pizza."

She smiled at him and took the last sip of her champagne. "You got it," she winked and got out of her seat.

He leaped up to help her, pulling out the chair and holding his arm out for her. He smiled warmly, then laughed at himself. "I think…for the first time, I'm nervous around you."

She tilted her head, squinted a bit, then slapped him hard in the chest. "Well knock it off," she joked with a laugh. She looped her arm around his and followed as he led her out of the restaurant and into the twilight.

He looked up and sighed. "You just don't see stars like this is the city."

Olivia hummed and said, "Just because you can't see them doesn't mean they aren't there. You have to look through a lot of smog to find the beauty sometimes."

"Whenever I really wanted to see beauty, I just looked at you," he said. "God, that sounds so cheesy." He laughed a hearty chuckle and shook his head. "But it's the truth," he said as he stopped walking and looked at her. He let his arm unravel from hers and his hand slid down her skin to take hold of her own. "I didn't tell you about…"

"You don't have to talk about it," she interrupted, her feet moving again as she pulled him back down the walkway. "Honestly, the less I know…"

"Liv," his voice stopped her. His eyes narrowed as she turned to him again. "Please? I…I didn't tell you because I didn't want it to affect this. Us…here." He licked his lips and one hand flew up to brush the hair out of her face. "I know you. You'd spend most of your free time on the phone with her trying to fix things when all I want is…"

Her hand laying over his suddenly stopped his words. "What?" she asked, her eyes pleading with him to tell her more, say it.

He took a shaky breath, leaned closer to her, and whispered, "You." Without another second of hesitation his lips touched hers. A slow, sweet, soft kiss. His other hand came to her other cheek, cupping her face as he deepened the kiss and moaned lowly.

She returned his moan with a gasp and a sweet noise from her throat. Her hands slipped down his shoulders and gripped tightly, kissing him back. She moaned softly as she pushed him away from her slowly, licking her lips with closed eyes. "El," she whispered breathlessly.

"Why did you…"

"We're not alone," she whispered. She wrapped her arms around his neck, pulling him close as she spoke into his ear. "He followed us out here."

He growled a bit, then let his own arms envelop her. "He's not getting anywhere near you. Not now." He kissed her cheek, loosened his grip, and walked her further down the stone path to their cabin. "He gave up," he said, looking over his shoulder as he unlocked their door. "Guess he just wanted to make sure we…"

"Were a real couple?" she finished with a laugh. She tossed her handbag down on the table, then touched her fingers to her lips. "You…um…that was a…you…"

"Kissed you," he said, nodding. "Under the stars, in the middle of a cobblestone road, on the edge of a lake." He looked her in the eyes. "I kissed you."

She titled her head, her eyes closing slightly. "Why did you…"

"I've wanted to…" he bit his lip and pulled his tie loose. He shrugged off his jacket and took a few more steps back toward her. "You have no idea how long I've waited to do that. That moment…on that fucking horse, Liv, I wanted to just grab you and kiss the shit out of you. But I didn't want to…"

"Scare me?" she questioned, folding her arms. "You really think you scare me, Stabler?"

He closed his eyes and took a deep breath. "I didn't want you to think I was only doing it…" He wiped his brow and looked at her, then lowered his hands to her shoulders. "I didn't want to come off like the asshole who thinks he can get some ass because the setting's romantic or there's alcohol involved." He smoothed his hands down her arms and smiled. "I didn't want you think it was just us undercover, either, I wanted you to know, when it happened, that it was all just…you."

She blinked, licked her lips, and smirked. "It was a little bit you, too, ya know."

"Yeah," he whispered, bending his head, giving her a smirk of his own. "Maybe."

Her smile widened. "Maybe," she whispered, her arms looping once again around his neck.

They met in a kiss more passionate than their first, her arms tightened as his fell to her waist. Unconsciously, they moved, their bodies dancing backward toward the bedroom. His back hit the door, and he fumbled with one hand to twist the knob. But before he could open it, his cell phone trilled and chirped, breaking the pair apart.

"Shit," he hissed, prying his mouth off of hers. "Sorry." He cleared his throat as he dug into his pocket for the offensive device.

She caught her breath and smoothed her hair back as she watched him answer the call.

"Stabler," he spat into the phone. "Yeah, we made contact. No, no, not yet, just an introduction and…an open offer." He had his eyes on Olivia as he spoke. "No," he said, determined and fierce. "He won't." He cleared his throat and cracked his knuckles, then said, "Right, Cap. As soon as anything happens, we'll call you."

She rolled her neck and took another deep breath as she watched him hang up. "We forgot to call him."

"Yeah," Elliot said with a nod, dropping his phone back into his pocket. "That's why he called. He was worried."

She eyed him for a moment. "You said 'he won't," she began. "He won't what?"

"I'm not letting him hurt you," he assured her, a fierceness in his eyes she'd seen before, only this time it was backed by an emotion she'd thought she'd only imagined there before.

She nodded slowly, then folded her arms. "I, um, I'm not really hungry anymore, El."

He watched her walk past him into the bedroom. "Liv," he choked out, sounding helpless. He stared on, his mouth drying out, as she peeled her dress off. He couldn't help smiling at the way she seemed not to care he was there. "I swear, he's not gonna hurt you."

She shook her head as she knelt down and pulled clothes out of her suitcase, then looked at him as she scoffed. She smirked at him and eased into a pair of yoga pants and a tank. "You're staring."

"You just…" he wagged a finger from side to side at her. "You don't even…"

"Please," she chortled. "You've seen me in less, I've changed in front of you before, and did you forget when you were undercover and…"

"No," he laughed. "I definitely did not forget that. He licked his lips. "That's tattooed on several parts of my brain." He winked at her, took a few steps, and sat on the bed. "We know how this guy operates, and if we're right, he's gonna be setting up camp right across the brook, getting ready to watch our every move for the next two days."

She nodded. "We have to make this look good." She sat next to him, one hand resting on his knee, the other rushing through her hair.

"We don't have to make it look like anything more than what it is," he shrugged. "We don't have to pretend, we don't have to do anything you…"

His sentence was cut off by her lips; her kiss. He moaned in surprise, then relaxed and wrapped her up in his arms. He felt her nip and tug at his bottom lip as she pulled away from him, and he looked at her, wide-eyed. "What was that for?"

"I was getting even," she told him. "And…I was letting you know…that I'm not letting anything happen to you either." She smiled. "You don't get to play hero all by yourself. Partners, remember?"

He got a good grip on her and swooped, dropping her flat on the bed half beneath him. He leaned over her, looking down into her eyes. "How can I forget?" He brushed his lips over hers again, then whispered, "You sure you're not hungry?"

She swallowed, then with an exhale, she sat up. "You order the pizza, I'll make the coffee." She blinked. "You really wanna do this?"

He nodded. "I should tell you. You have a right to know," he said. "And…it's a clean slate for us to…"

"You have a real problem with yes or no questions, you know that?" she laughed. She kissed the end of his nose and rolled off of the bed.

He watched her walk with a smile. There was a lightness in his heart that hadn't been there in so long, he'd forgotten what it felt like. He got off of the bed and started to change, when shadows through the window caught his attention. He narrowed his eyes as he pulled his tie off and walked toward the open curtains. "Shit," he gruffed, watching their suspect pull into the parking space at the cabin across the way. "Bastard's early."

**A/N: The man's identity revealed, and he gets more of a show than he bargained for. Next!**


	5. Chapter 5

**A/N: Heart-to-heart**

**DISCLAIMER: Dick Wolf owns SVU and its characters. TStabler© owns the narrative, dialogue and plot of this story.**

Olivia bit into a slice of pizza, her eyes never leaving Elliot's face as he bit into his own. "How bad was it?" she asked, her eyes pinching shut slightly.

He sighed, chewing, and he swallowed hard. "Well," he clicked his jaw and grabbed his beer, "How bad was the War of 1812?"

"El," Olivia moaned, rolling her eyes. "You wanted to tell me everything, so can it with the jokes and…"

"It was bad," he interrupted. "There was screaming, and throwing things, and…and then there was silence." He took another bite of his pizza slice, bringing his eyes to meet hers. "Almost like we just…accepted it was over." He took a swig of his beer. "It's been over…for a long time…but this…we just kind of let it end."

Olivia swallowed the mouthful of pizza she had in her mouth. "When?"

He scratched his head, took another bite of pizza, and mumbled, "Months ago." He licked his lips, wiped the corners of his mouth with a napkin, and said, "I know you had a lot to do with keeping us together. Liv, I didn't want that this time." His look grew serious, almost stern. "Now you know why."

She nodded at him, then dropped her pizza onto the plate in front of her. She ran her hands through her hair, cleared her throat, and looked back at him. "El, I…I feel the same way. You know that. You have to know…"

"But," Elliot sighed, leaning back in frustration.

"But," she began, reaching for his hand. She linked her fingers with his, squeezing. "We have a job to do, here. As much as I would…so completely love to take the time here to explore…this…us…we have to play the game. We can't do all the things we want to do with each other, and at the same time make this asshole believe we're newlyweds. He's expecting to watch…"

"I know what he expects," Elliot intruded. He leaned forward, his hand still clutching hers, and he said, "We've faked it before, Liv. Trust me, okay? Nothing has to happen, but if it does, I'm not gonna stop it. Are you?"

She slid her chair closer to his, bringing their linked hands to her heart. She looked into his eyes and shook her head. "I don't want…"

"Do you know how long I've tried to fight this?" he said with an almost bitter laugh. "How many cases we worked when I felt exactly the way I do now?" He dropped his head to hers, their foreheads brushing as he nuzzled her nose. "This isn't new, Liv. We can do this. We'll get the bad guy, and maybe at the same time, take a step or two in a new direction."

She nodded, smiling, and she gently pressed her lips to his. "Just one or two?" she joked.

He laughed and kissed her with a bit more fervor. "Five…ten…hell, we could take a fucking leap while we're at it," he said with another chuckle. He tilted his head to the right to kiss her again, but his phone chirped, stopping him. "I swear if this doesn't stop, I'm turning it off."

She smirked as she backed away. "Yeah, so he can come banging on the door thinking we're dead? No, thank you."

He rolled his eyes as he picked up his phone off the table and answered. "Stabler," he said, his voice gravelly. "Oh, uh, yeah. Yeah, he is. Early." He looked at Olivia with worried eyes. "She's fine, she's right here." He pressed his lips together. "Really? Russian?" He dug around in his pocket and pulled out the card the waiter handed to him. "Nick Strauss, Psychologist." He flipped the card over and over in his hand as he listened to Cragen. "No, that's…the opposite of comforting, but thanks, Cap." He coughed a bit, then said, "Yeah, good night." He hung up, then looked at Olivia.

"What is it?" she asked, folding her arms.

He licked around his teeth, poked his tongue into his cheek for a moment, then said, "Munch and Fin are moving into a cabin on the other side of the lake, they're gonna have constant surveillance on the one our guy's in."

"What about Russian?" she asked, confused. "This guy is Russian?"

Elliot nodded. "Morales finally dug into this guy's internet history," he said. "He was an active member of several Russian social networks, his Friendster profile lists his name as Nikolai Stravinsky. So either he's really Russian, or he's…"

"Trying to find a Russian bride?" Olivia offered. "That's why he hunts newlyweds. He's jealous of their happiness, bitter that he can't find a woman of his own?"

Elliot stood up and held out his hand, waiting for her to give him hers. "Sounds good to me," he said with a smile. "I'm tired, come on."

She took a breath, then took his hand , and said, "The sick fuck gets off on watching couples, then his rage sets in, he breaks in, ties down the guy, has his way with the girl, then kills them both out of, what, guilt? Pity? Disgust?"

He pulled her along, heading into the bedroom, and he yanked down the comforter with his free hand. "We're not gonna let him get far enough to find out." He held onto her hand as he watched her climb up onto the mattress, then slipped under the covers himself. He settled into a comfortable spot, then let out a breath he wasn't sure he'd been holding. "Liv?"

"Yeah?" she returned, turning onto her side. She smiled, watching him lift their clasped hands, toying with her fingers. "What's wrong?"

"Nothing," he said softly. "That's what I wanted to tell you. I haven't gone to bed feeling this…happy…in a long time. We've got a lot to deal with here, I should be half-pissed off and half-terrified. But all I feel right now is…happy." He eyed her for a moment. "Is that weird?"

She smiled and shook her head, then slowly shifted closer to him. "No," she whispered, her head dipping into the crook of his neck.

He let go of her hand, then wrapped his arm around her and pulled her flush against him. He heard her give a slight gasp, their noses touching just barely as she flattened over him. "Hi," he whispered, giving her a smoldering smile.

She grinned back. "Hi," she said just as softly. They stayed still for a moment, both taking in the situation, feeling each other's hearts begin to race. Her leg dropped between his, her hips shifted and nestled on his hip as their bodies locked together, and he lifted one hand to wind in her hair. She held her breath, knowing what he was going to do, keeping her promise to just let it happen.

"I'm not…" he tried to speak. "I mean, Liv, baby, he's…"

"Watching," she said nodding, her smile never fading. "Doesn't make this any less…"

"I know," he cut her off one more time. He then licked his lips, swallowed the lump in his throat, and pulled her head down to meet him, kissing her hard, his body stiffening beneath hers as he felt her rocking against him.

They knew that from a distance it would look much more intimate than it was, they would be baiting their target and doing their job, but the emotions passing between them and shifting changes in their relationship were very real. They were angering a dangerous man, as well as taking a much-desired personal risk, and there was no turning back from either.

As they tangled their limbs and tongues, they both moaned and sighed, sinking into each other deeply, knowing the man watching across the way was looking on, licking his lips, and planning his next move.

They just didn't know he wasn't planning it alone.

**A/N: An accomplice? Who? Someone we may know…? A morning that brings them closer, and an afternoon that threatens to tear them apart, next.**


	6. Chapter 6

**A/N: "Laughing like children, living like lovers, rolling like thunder, under the covers." - Elton John**

"El," Olivia moaned, her mouth pressed to his. "El, we should..." another moan stifled her words, and his tongue sweeping into her mouth made her forget what she was going to say.

He chuckled and ran his hand up her shirt, smoothing over the skin of her back, light moans escaping his own lips as he felt the prickling of goosebumps grow under his touch. He bucked up a bit, his muscular thigh rubbing against her sensitive flesh.

She moaned a bit louder, rocked harder against him, let her knee press into his growing erection. She felt his hands twist in her hair, and she laughed a bit when he bit her bottom lip. She pulled back a bit to look at him, and she smiled. "I was gonna say, maybe we should..."

"Maybe you're right," he sighed, moving to sit up and pull out from underneath her, but her hands on his chest made him freeze. He quirked an eyebrow at her.

"Maybe we should have done this a long time ago," she whispered, holding his gaze, and her eyes sparkled as her teeth scraped over her lower lip. "Munch and Fin are over there, watching him, watching us. And I can't help feeling like a teenager fooling around with her boyfriend in her mother's bed."

He wagged his eyebrows and brought his hands to hers, reentwining their fingers. "Boyfriend, huh?"

She rolled her eyes and swatted at him with their linked hands. "You know what I..." she paused, she looked into his eyes and she grinned, then let out a small laugh. "I can't remember the last time I saw you smile like that."

"It's been a while," he told her, reaching his head up to nuzzle her nose and kiss her lips. "It's because of you. Like it always has been. You have to know that."

She took a slow, deep breath, closed her eyes, and said, "This feels..."

"Perfect," he finished in a whisper, then he pulled her off of him and to the side, and curled his body around hers. "Absolutely perfect." He gave her another kiss, smiling against her lips, and said, "Goodnight, Liv."

She sighed, moved closer to him, and rested her head right in the bend of his neck. "Night, El." And with a sigh, she wrapped tighter around him, closed her eyes, and fell asleep, happy.

The morning came way too early, an obnoxious knocking on the door roused her first and her stirring made him wake, confused. "What...why...huh?"

"Coming!" she yelled, running her fingers through her hair as she got out of the bed. She felt his hand wrap around her wrist, and she turned to look at him. "What?"

"That could be him," he hissed, sliding off the mattress. "Don't answer the door alone. Jesus." He shook his head, kissed her quickly, and took her hand as he walked with her toward the front door. He opened it with his free hand, and was met with a chipper young man in a white linen suit. "Who the hell are you?"

"I'm your life coach," the man said, smiling, letting himself in. He dropped a white tote bag onto the couch and turned to them. "Every morning, I am going to awaken you at dawn, guide you into oneness, into unifying your entire being with one another."

Elliot choked back a laugh. "Oh, really, we did that last night."

Olivia gasped and elbowed him in the side, then looked back at the man in white. "What...what does that even..."

"Please," he interrupted, holding up both hands. "Dispose of all negative energy, and come sit on the couch, facing each other."

Elliot looked at Olivia, gave her a look that said, "Are you fucking kidding me?" and moved with her toward the couch. "We haven't even brushed our teeth yet, so how close are we getting, here?"

That earned him another of Olivia's elbows to the ribs, and he grunted and laughed as they sat, turned to face each other, and shared a chuckle.

"Now," the coach said, pulling a tall candle out of his tote and lighting it, "Relax. Please, raise both hands, press your palms together lightly, and close your eyes. Feel each other's energy, feel each other's inner light flowing through your fingertips, twisting, connecting, sparking and surging, binding you together."

"Oh, my God," Elliot mumbled under his breath, but surprisingly, he felt calmer with Olivia's hands against his.

The young man cleared his throat, smiled, and said, "Clear your mind of all thought, except the moment you knew you were in love. The exact moment you knew your heart was lost forever, the moment you knew your life would never be the same."

Olivia's breath hitched, she felt heat radiating through her palms from Elliot's, and she pressed her lips together as she recalled the very minute she knew she truly loved him. She saw his face, his smile, she remembered the shirt he was wearing, the color of his coffee mug, and she remembered the words that he'd said that sealed the deal and made her absolutely certain she would never truly be in love with anyone else.

As if he could read her mind, his fingers twitched against hers and he let out a soft curse, his own memory being taken back to that same moment, so many years ago. The way her pants clung to her curves, the way her hair fell just to the nape of her neck and the way her eyes glinted in the dim light of the squad room. He recalled her smile almost reaching her ears as she laughed, the sound of their coffee mugs clinking, and the promise he made that she repeated.

"I am going to count to three," the strange lined-clad man said. "When I do, I want you to open your eyes, and say the first thing that comes to your mind, the first words that burn on your tongue when you look into the eyes of your betrothed."

Though it sounded far fetched and too "new-age" for either of them, they realized it had worked, they did feel connected, linked, bound.

"One," the man lifted the scented candle and waved it over their heads. "Two," he lowered it, letting the soothing scent waft under their noses. Then, he lifted it to his mouth, and pursed his lips as he said, "Three" and blew out the candle.

"Partners for life." They both gasped, staring inquisitively at each other. She tilted her head and dropped her jaw slightly. He was the first to speak. "You wore that red collared shirt with the silver buttons...it got ripped that night in a take down."

"You got a busted lip, we went out for beer and pizza after we..." she shook her head. "That was so...long ago."

"I've been in love with you for a long time," he told her. "Longer than...a lot longer than I thought."

She nodded. "Me, too."

"Okie dokie," the man in the linen suit chirped. "The candle stays here, light it whenever you...have relations...and you're sure to have an incredible experience." He smiled and clapped giddily. "My work here is done." He let out a small, happy squeak, lifted up his tote bag, and bounded out of the cabin, off to wake their neighbors.

Elliot shook his head as he finally lowered his hands. "What the hell just happened?"

"I think...I don't know." She laughed and wrapped her arms around his neck. "But it made us realize something pretty spectacular."

"It did," he said, smiling at her. He kissed her, looping his arms around her waist. "Do we have to go to yoga? I can think of a thousand ways to bend your body without even leaving the cabin."

She let out a low, sultry laugh, and let him pull her on top of him as he leaned back on the couch. "Oh, really?"

"Hm," he nodded, biting the skin of her neck. "Half of them involve this couch." He sank his teeth in just a bit harder, making her moan and rock into him.

"You're driving me crazy," she said, throwing her head back and clawing at his chest. "I thought we said..."

"We said if it happened, we wouldn't stop it." He moved his hand up under her tee shirt, caressing her ides before cupping her breasts and swiping his thumbs over her nipples. He felt her arch and shudder, and he growled slightly as he moved to take her shirt off completely. He stopped, though, and tried to compose himself as he watched her shoot her head back to look down at him.

"What...why did you..."

"Over a decade," he said, shaking his head. "I'm not doing this with you on a couch, after Giddy the Gay CareBear gets us to admit we're actually more crazy than we thought." He sat up, keeping her legs wrapped around his waist, making her sit in his lap. He clasped his hands at the small of her back and kissed her deeply, moaning softly into her mouth. "You deserve better than that," he told her. He blinked once. "We do."

She laughed and looked at him in disbelief. "You're incredible, you know that? Most men would..."

"Most men haven't wasted years, missed opportunities, and almost lost you too many times to count," he told her. "I don't want to fuck this up. Especially since technically we're working here, and we can't afford to make mistakes."

She kissed him. "Yoga it is," she said with a wink, and shimmied off of his lap. As she headed back into the bedroom, she heard the shrill ring of Elliot's cell phone. She grabbed it off of the end table and tossed it to him, and he blew her a kiss as he caught it.

"Stabler," he said, rising off the couch. "Yeah, she's awake. We have to go to some couples yoga thing on the...what? How did you...who said...no, Cap, that would blow the whole...oh, shit." He looked at Olivia, the love in his eyes shadowed now by fear and slight anger. "That's not gonna happen. Thanks for the heads up." He hung up and moved to her, fast, wrapping his hand around her elbow. "We aren't going to yoga." He lightly shoved her onto the bed.

She laughed. "Changed your mind about waiting for the right moment?"

"No," he marched over to the window and pulled down the blinds, then peeked through the slits toward the cabin across the lake. "We're in trouble, baby."

"What do you mean?" she asked, suddenly pale.

He turned to her. "We go out there now, we risk being made," he told her. "Stravinsky has a partner."

"El, we've taken down more than two people before, why do you look so..."

"His partner is Erich Tassig," Elliot interrupted. He sat next to her on the bed, took her hand in his, and said, "If he sees me, we're done."

Olivia squinted. "I though you got him! Christ, El, you went all the way to fucking Prague to get that fucker! How did he even get out?"

Elliot shrugged. "They don't know," he said. "Munch and Fin saw him getting out of a station wagon, and I...Liv, I almost killed him. I felt his neck snapping, and Christ, I wanted so badly to just end him right then and there, but...I heard your voice in my head, and I...even from the other side of the world, you saved me." He pulled her closer. "Needless to say, he's not my biggest fan, and if he finds out I'm here...we blow the whole op, and that can't happen."

"So what's the plan?" She bit her lip as she rested her head on his shoulder.

He kissed her forehead and said, "They have him under heavy surveillance, they don't think he's hanging around too long. It looks like it's just an exchange of information. They're waiting for Tassig to get out of the resort before closing in on him, so Stravinsky won't know we're onto him, too."

"Okay," Olivia looked up toward him. "And until that happens?"

Elliot sighed and his eyes filtered toward the window. "We wait here," he said. He wrapped an arm around her and kissed her again. "I'm sure we can think of something to do."

Olivia laughed, then kissed him, one hand coming to his face. In the tense moment, they found comfort, but a night closed up in their cabin was ahead, and neither was prepared for how quickly, then, the tension would really mount.

**A/N: Oh, snap!**


End file.
